Dehradun: Fourteen heli-charter companies have been given the go-ahead for operating flights to Kedarnath during the char dham yatra this year.Sources said the clearance came late on Friday with a condition that the companies would abide by the laid down norms of the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT), which had recently issued a notice to the state government over noise from choppers disturbing animals at the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS).Additional secretary, Uttarakhand civil aviation department, R Rajesh Kumar said, “All choppers will have to maintain a height of 600-metre above the ground level and ensure noise level to 50 decibel (dB). In a day, six choppers will be allowed to ply at a time. Besides, choppers will start flying from 6am till 6pm.”Kumar said a list of air fare from different helipads had been sent to the directorate general of civil aviation for approval, while assuring that the fares would be lesser than the previous year.Capt Baljit Singh, a pilot with Summit Aviation company, said, “Advance choppers will have no problem in flying 600-metre above the ground level, but old ones will have problem in flying that high and will have to upgrade their machines.”Capt Anupam Kathuria, however, said, “Since height and noise are correlated, flying choppers above 600-metre will help maintain the noise level to 50 dB. Yet, noise increases at the time of take-off and landing.”Recommending flight norms over KWLS in a report submitted to the Uttarakhand government, Wildlife Institute of India has laid stressed on shifting of the helipad near KWLS in view of loud sound produced by choppers during take-off and landing, disturbing wild animals. However, the state government is yet to take a call on it.

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